Man Charged With Murder In Boom Box Bludgeoning

Share this:

San Francisco prosecutors today filed a murder charge against a man accused in a fatal attack on a stranger inside a Tenderloin fast-food restaurant on Saturday.

Edward Holloway, 54, is alleged to have smashed 38-year-old Matthew Adams, of San Francisco, in the head with a boom box, causing him to fall to the floor and suffer a fractured skull that caused his death several hours later, according to prosecutors.

The apparently unprovoked attack occurred at about 1:30 a.m. inside a Carl’s Jr. restaurant at Seventh and Market streets, just doors away from Adams’ apartment.

Holloway, a transient, was arrested Sunday night in the 1200 block of Market Street.

Holloway, who police say has a history of violence, was berating restaurant customers, including Adams, who was there with his girlfriend early that morning, according to police.

District attorney’s office spokesman Brian Buckelew said video surveillance from inside the restaurant shows Holloway confronting Adams. As Adams began to stand up, Holloway allegedly swung the boom box at Adams, who partially blocked it with his arm but was unable to prevent the impact to his head.

“He was hit so hard that the boom box was dented,” Buckelew said.

The impact knocked Adams to the ground and he hit his head on the floor, according to Buckelew.

When Adams regained consciousness, he refused medical treatment, but when his girlfriend went to check on him that night in his apartment, she found him dead, police said.

A review by the medical examiner indicates it was the impact with the floor that fractured Adam’ skull and ruptured an artery that caused his death, according to Buckelew.

Prosecutors believe that alleged chain of events is enough to justify a second-degree murder conviction, under the theory of implied malice, Buckelew said.

Buckelew said the theory alleges the boom-box attack “was an act so inherently dangerous that it was reasonably foreseeable that the victim would die.”

Holloway is scheduled to be arraigned on one count of murder Thursday morning in San Francisco Superior Court.

Please make sure your comment adheres to our comment policy. If it doesn't, it may be deleted. Repeat violations may cause us to revoke your commenting privileges. No one wants that!